my barred rock wont stop laying her eggs on the ground?!?!

[chickenbottom]

i have 2 so im not sure but this is the 5th day in a row that i have found an egg in the coop or the run and its getting quite annoying. why is she doing it on the ground instead of the next boxes? she has 9 other nest boxes to chose from the 10th has a broody in it lol. i cant sell those because they get so dirty how do i get her to lay in the boxes? thanks for the help

 

[Judy]

Why do they get dirty? Are they sleeping in them? What is their roost made of? Is it higher than the nest boxes?

 

[chickenbottom]

1.the eggs i find on the ground are to dirty.
2.the only one sleeping in the nest boxes is noodle the broody.
3.the roost is a 2inch by 3inch piece of wood but most chose to sleep by the window on top the nest boxes.
4. and it is about the same height i cant get it any taller from the roof.

 

[Judy]

You could try golf balls or other fake eggs in the nest boxes. You should check them after dark for mites/lice; they could be avoiding the nest boxes because the bugs stay in there during the day. It might simply be too warm or not well ventilated enough in the nest boxes; you could try adding some ventilation to them. There could be redbugs or something in there; do you use Spanish moss for nesting material?

 

[chickenbottom]

i use wood shavings. and it isnt to hot its been raining non stop for a week now and i just cleaned the coop out about 6 days ago. they have a great ventilation the window is big covered in hardware cloth and then they have more ventilation in the way top near the door. and run so i dont think thats the problem. and i dont think its mites i check them regularly for them. ill try the golf ball thing see if she starts back up in the nesting boxes.

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
I have same question why do they get dirty. The only dirty eggs I have found were egg laid under a bush by out small garden pond, and I think thats because it had rained.

 

[Judy]

Chickenbottom, that's all I can think of. Maybe they're just new to laying and need more time to learn where to lay. My new flock laid eggs on the coop floor off and on for about 3 weeks, but all the eggs are in the nest boxes now. Good luck!

Mstricer, I think the OP answered this, that he was also talking about dirt from the ground.

 

[chickenbottom]

Quote:
she lol. and shes been laying for about almost a month now and never have gotten one on the ground before.

 

[happychickenlady]

I have the same problem: one barred rock is laying on the floor, but the rest are laying in the boxes. There is a fake egg in there and I check it daily to make sure there isn't any poop in the boxes. They are 21 weeks old and are just coming into laying. So far we check through out the day and try to get it quickly before the rest get untrained.